H20: Source2Seas

Specific ObjectiveCoastal and Transitional Water Ecosystems

Project Budget€2,433,117.37

ERDF Amount€1,688,150.98

Duration07/2018 - 03/2022 (45 months)

Description

The project H2O will create new tools to analyse and manage spatial and geographic data. It will implement evidence-based Natural Flood (NFM) & Drought (NDM) management, which will reduce public money spent on managing water issues in the Channel area.

Flooding affects local communities and businesses as rapid water run-off increases pollutants and sediments in rivers; drought damages ecosystems and quality of rivers, transitional & coastal waters by concentrating pollutants. Pollutants also affect coastal fish spawning grounds and quality of tourist beaches. The implementation of NFM and NDM measures will help to reduce the impacts of flooding, drought and pollution.

The project will implement Natural Flood Management through tree and hedge planting, the creation of leaky dams and Natural Drought Management techniques, such as scrapes and channels, and will reduce pollution in transitional and coastal waters by 15% in pilot areas. This will also enable water quality to improve, by reducing the effects of pollution.

Outputs:

Local landowners, NOGs, Public Sector and statutory agencies will implement NDM measures to improve freshwater usage and reduce water stress.

Decision makers will be using a valuation of natural capital to support land/marine environmentally-friendly infrastructure.

A model will be created for using natural methods to manage flood and pollution throughout the river network.